House demands Pentagon disclose details about domestic drones

The United States House of Representatives is demanding that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel explain to Congress details pertaining to any domestic spying missions conducted by Pentagon-operated surveillance drones.

The House voted this week on a lengthy appropriations bill that,
tucked deep within, contained a provision ordering the Department
of Defense to disclose information about a little-known drone
program that could be collecting images of unknowing Americans.

Citing heightened concerns over the aircraft, the House approved
a measure that said in part that the secretary of defense must
report on the policies and procedures in place within the military
regarding the collection and usage of data picked up by Pentagon
surveillance drones. If passed by the Senate and signed into law by
the president, Sec. Hagel will have 90 days to submit a report to
Congress explaining what policies and procedures are in place
across the military to ensure that the constitutional rights of
Americans are not violated by any Pentagon drones flown in
America.

“The conferees understand that the Air Force has policies and
procedures in place governing the disposition of UAV collections
that may inadvertently capture matters of concern to law
enforcement agencies. These policies and procedures are designed to
ensure constitutional protections and proper separation between the
military and law enforcement,” begins the measure. “However,
it is unclear if other Services and Defense agencies have similar
policies and procedures in place, or if these policies and
procedures need to be revised or standardized. Therefore, the
conferees direct the Secretary of Defense to report to the
congressional defense committees on the policies and procedures in
place across the Services and Defense agencies governing the use of
such collections and to identify any additional steps that need to
be taken to ensure that such policies and procedures are adequate
and consistent across the Department of Defense.”

In all, the appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2013 was
approved by a vote of 267-151, with the majority of support coming
from members of the Republican Party. Also included in the bill is
congressional approval for $982 billion to fund the government
during the fiscal year, with separate appropriations concerning the
Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The vote comes amid heated discussion in Washington over the use
of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, and what rules the Obama
administration has adopted to ensure that the safety and security
of Americans are not put at risk while more UAVs enter the sky.

Little to any information is publically known about drones
operated by the Air Force, let alone the rest of the Armed
Services. As RT reported earlier in the week, however, the US
Department of Homeland Security has a fleet of unmanned aircraft
for patrolling purposes that are deployed to America’s borders.
Those aircraft, though unequipped with missiles like the drones
used overseas, are outfitted with technology that could be engaged
to intercept communication signals within the
United States.

Earlier this week, Attorney General Eric Holder told Sen. Rand
Paul (R-Kentucky) that an “extraordinary circumstance” could
exist in which the president of the United States would be prompted
to use missile-equipped drones to execute an American citizen on US soil. Sen. Paul
responded by launching a filibuster during Wednesday’s confirmation hearing for
President Barack Obama’s pick for CIA director, John Brennan,
demanding for the White House to respond in greater detail about
the alleged justification for an extrajudicial execution. On
Thursday, Mr. Holder and the president’s spokesperson issued
statements saying, no, American citizens cannot
and will not be killed within the homeland using military
force.